Choose 2 of the following.
1. Quote 1 line or passage from within Chap 13-18 that feels imp’t to you and write a paragraph explaining why. (Note page #.)
2. Quote 1 line or passage from within Chap 13-18 that feels imp’t to the text and write a paragraph explaining why. (Note page #.) End your post w/ a question.
3. Identify a particular image that stood out for you in Chap 13-18. (Note page #.) Describe in detail what you envision and why you think it struck you.
4. What has this book left you thinking about? Explain. End your post w/ a question.
An Image out of the many throughout chapter 13-18 was one at the very beginning. My Image is on page 195. I can see Danny as this tall man/boy like figure fighting with this old profesore about how to teach and the correct concepts. I can see him not afraid to speak his mind, but I also see a short old profesore standing under him and being very determined that Danny has no right to argue with the ways of psychology teachings and teaching in general. This image stuck with me till the end of the book because it was so prominent and about such a little thing, but shows so much energy over something so minimal.
ReplyDeleteThe quote that was important to the text was at the beginning of chapter fifteen “My father returned from the hospital in the middle of March. He was weak and gaunt, confined to his bed and almost completely incapable of any kind of physical activity” (p. 239). I thought this quote was important to the text because it shows his father has a vulnerability about himself what I think is the first time we get to see that in him. I think this is nice to see because he never had such a vulnerable state like this in the book. I think it is important to get to see him like this because it shows his true side and nature. I would like to see more of his vulnerable side.
The quote that is important to me comes from the very end of the book at the beginning of the last paragraph. “We shook hands and I watched him walk quickly away, tall, lean, bent forward with eagerness and hungry for the future, his metal capped shoes tapping against the sidewalk” (pg 271). I choose this quote because I didn’t like it what is kinda funny, but I didn’t like it because I thought there should have been a little more. I thought it should end here. I like them shaking their hands, but I felt it was just wrapped up quickly. Yes he is ready for the future and it is his next step, but I don’t want to guess what the next step is going to be I want Chaim Potok to have told me.
This book left me with a sense of mystery and that you can’t always judge something by its cover. The book left me with this because at the beginning I was hating this rough and gruff team of baseball players, but I learned to wait to judge them. I wonder what do you think will happen next for Danny?
1. You did extra, Sage! :) You only needed to choose 2 out of the 4 options. I mention this to alert anyone else who is yet to comment.
Delete2. As to your final question, the answer can be found in the sequel, entitled "The Promise"!
The ending was quite mysterious and I wonder how much light will the promise will shed on the ending about what happens to Reuven and to Danny after the end of the book.
DeleteI am so happy their is a sequel I would like to read that.
DeleteI am definitely going to read the sequel. This is the best book I've ever read for school! Every book I've read in an English class has been about teenagers :P This one was too, but it is so much more insightful than one might expect :)
DeleteI guess I better order a few copies of the sequel!
Deletethe quote that I felt was important to the story was on page 204. "you are no longer a chi;d Reuven" my father went on. "it is almost possible to see how your mind is growing" I thought this quote was important because it reminded me how much Reuven grew throughout the book and it also made me want to reread several parts to compare how much he grew betweeen those parts and the end of the book.
ReplyDeleteThe quote that I felt was important to the story was on page195 and on page 199
"By the end of our first week of college, Danny was feeling miserable. "why don't you ask appleman" i said quietly "I think I will" Danny said.
I think this quote is important to the story becasue it shows that Danny got what he wanted but he hates it and at the same time his dad has stopped talking to him mostly.
The image that stuck out to me was on page 209 "poor danny, I thought Professor Appleman with his experimental psychology is torturing your mind and your father with his bizarre silence is torturing your soul." this image just made me think about how Danny is trapped by two things one of which is college and which he is incredibly bored and the other is his father who has shunned him for not cintinueing his families legacy of being a rabbi.
The book left me thinking about what happened with Dannie's father when it wasn't talked about and what would the book been like if Danny hadn't hit Reuven with the ball or if Reuven hadn't met Danny at all?
I wonder what happens after Danny walks away at the end of the story
See my reply to Sage's post.
DeleteThere were so many parts in this part of the Chosen that I could talk about all day. But one of the parts that struck me as being really important to the text and to the world was: “‘I learned a long time ago, Reuven, that a blink of an eye itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something.”(204) This relates to life and how life is short yet that is not what is important in life it is, as Reuven’s father says, the eye or the human that matters. Who you are and who you become is all that matters in life. This quote is sounds as if it is for-shadowing the rest of the book, and maybe even life in general. Another part that struck me was “‘I can’t get over your becoming a rabbi.’ I can’t get over your becoming of a psychologist.‘And we looked at each other in wonder.”(247) At the start of the book I though that Danny and Reuven were going to switch places, Reuven becoming the Rabbi and Danny becoming the teacher. But then you see Danny choosing a totally unexpected path and Reuven choosing the path that was expected. I was very happy when I read that Danny was choosing to be something other than the being a Rabbi, which he was going to be forced to do. The end of the book left me thinking a lot of things. Such as the silence(No not the tall aliens in Doctor Who are they tall? I can never remember...). Does anyone really understand what that kind of method is? It was very confusing and strange. I do not understand why someone would never speak to their child. It doesn’t seem fair. I was also wondering during if the thought crossed anyones minds if the author was for-shadowing Reuven’s fathers death, maybe it was one of those cliff hangers that you never find out the rest of what happens, like when Danny walks away from Reuven’s house at the very end. Will Danny teach his child in silence? Or will he find a better way to teach his child? All in all, I really did like this book. I thought it brought out a lot on how hard it is to be a good friend and how hard it is to find the path you are supposed to take, and not follow in the path you were forced on.
ReplyDeleteI think Danny is going to be a better father to his children than his father was, simply because he remembers how much anguish the silence (I don't even know what you're talking about there, Maggie) caused him as a child. I agree with your summary at the end about friendship and following your own path.
DeleteAn image that stood out to me is: "He [Danny] nodded but remained silent. He sat there slumped over, looking small and uncomfortable, like a bird in pain" (261). This stuck in my head because I know exactly what he means. Leaning against a wall or the back of a chair, basically supported only the surface he's leaning against, trying to be upbeat but falling dramatically short.
ReplyDeleteThis book was intense without being intense. What I mean by that is, the characters could be having a life-changing discussion, but I never felt panicked. After reading a book, my first thought is always how to take what I read and transfer it somehow into my own writing. This book made me think about how the strongest and most devoted friendship may not last all my life. Try and hold onto your friends, but remember that you can't take it with you. What did everyone else think of Danny's and Reuven's friendship as it progressed and changed?
I thought Danny and Reuven's friendship was interesting, to say the least. It was interesting to see them begin being sort of uncomfortable around each other when Reuven was in the hospital, to becoming almost brothers when Reuven was living the Saunders' house. In my opinion, there is no time when they are better friends than when they are not allowed to speak to each other, because they realize how much of an impact they've had on each other's lives.
DeleteEven though their friendship went through some rough patches at times, I think that their friendship became stronger as they got older. They were always loyal to one another and would always help each other out no matter what. I believe that their friendship was very healthy and hope that they would continue to stay friends if the book was to go on.
DeleteI thought it was odd and complicated, but I grew to really enjoy learning what was next. I want to read more about their relationship in the sequel.
DeleteWow. This book is amazing and I'm so glad I was forced to read it. Its ending was fraught with emotional intensity that just makes you feel along with the characters as opposed to thinking about the characters and their struggles. It left me thinking about the impact a father can (and will) have on his son and how that can impact his son for the rest of his life. It made me think about the importance of friendship and how talking to and hanging around friends are sometimes the only way the great big problems of life can be dealt with, and how the effect friends can have on you can stay with you for much longer than the physical friendship does.
ReplyDeleteAn image that struck me particularly hard was: "He sat in his straight-backed, red leather chair and looked at me from behind the desk. His beard had gone almost completely gray, and he sat stooped forward bent, as though he were carrying something on his shoulders." (261). This struck me because for most of the book, I had pre-determined image of Danny's father as this imposing, impenetrable force that watches over everything and has power over pretty much everything that happens, sort of like Don Corleone in The Godfather. But when I read this passage it hit me that he's just a man and he doesn't have control of everything. He couldn't force Danny to do as he wished; Danny had his own desires and interests and nothing would get between him and those goals. The last chapter of the book in general brought Reb Saunders off of this seemingly omnipotent pedestal I had him placed on, and turned him into a human. It was really interesting. Now that most questions are answered about their relationship, what did people think of the way Reb Saunders raised Danny and their whole relationship?
I think the way Reb Sunders raised Danny was pretty unjust. I umderstamd that he had to be a little more strict because he was a rabbi, but I don't think the whole never speaking to his son thing was a good idea. I wonder if the way Danny was raised by his father will have an effect on the way he raises children of his own.
Delete"We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity." (204) This quote is important to me because it really made me think about how important every little thing is in our lives. We should never take anything for granted and we should be thankful for everything that we have. It also shows us that we should live in the moment because we never know when it all might be taken away.
ReplyDeleteThis book left me with many questions. I was curious to find out what would happen to Danny and Reuven. I was very happy when I had read that Reb Saunders was going to accept that his son did not want to follow in his footsteps, but take his own path and study philosophy. This book made me realize that you can judge someone by their appearance or by their first impression, but you must get to know that person and walk in their shoes to see how things may appear to them. I will have to admit that I was not very fond of Reb Saunders for a majority of this book, but by the end, my opinion had slightly changed about him. Do you think that Danny and Reuven will remain friends as they both go their separate ways?
I feel like Reuven and Danny will be distant friends because at the end of the book they seem to be drifting away from each other and going separate ways.
DeleteSince they have gone through many trials with each other, I do believe that their friendship is here to stay, one way or another. I get the impression that they were starting to spread apart, but I do believe that they share a bond that will not be broken any time soon.
DeleteAn image that I thought was important to the text was on page 237-238: "'Your father is a good teacher. You are blessed to have such a father.' His voice was soft, reverent. 'Reuven?' 'Yes?' 'I must ask you never to use such a method of explanation in my class.' He was speaking gently, almost apologetically. 'I am myself not opposed to such a method. But i must ask you never to use it in my class. Do you understand me?' 'Yes.' 'I will call on you often now,' he said, smiling warmly. 'Now that you understand I will call on you very often.' "
ReplyDeleteI thought this passage was important to the text because it displayed the deeper thinking of Reuven's professor. He was being very conscious of what the other students in his class would think if Reuven kept using his father's methods to explain sections of Talmud. A majority of them were anti-Zionists and since Reuven's father was a Zionist, Reuven was almost completely disliked by his classmates just for that reason. I thought this quote showed oppression of opinion/lack of religious freedom at Reuven's college pretty well.
This book has left me thinking about a lot of things, mainly ideas that the book thrust upon me. Some of these include the issue of religious freedom in some places. Another thing the book has left me with is more knowledge about Hitler, the war, and the political issues that took place during this time, along with Roosevelt's death. I didn't know much about it until I got to that section of the book, and it seemed like it hit people very hard. Now I will always remember this book as the one that helped me see both events and people in our world in a different light.
Some remaining questions I have is, will Reuven and Danny keep up their friendship throughout their adult lives? And will Danny's brother actually become a rabbi like Danny had hoped?
I LOVE THIS BOOK.
ReplyDeleteAn image that I think is interesting is: "It had bright fluorescent lights--that didn't flicker or change color, I notices immediately" (208). This shows that the new library they're going to is much nicer than the old one. I can just imagine how the lights would flicker, struggling to completely turn on (kinda like one light in my dad's office :P). The boys did a lot of studying in their library, They're smart kids; although it seems that Danny's "genius" intelligence and emotional intelligence were out of balance, as his father thought.
This book left me thinking about how I grew up. I feel grateful that my life is not as pressured and complicated as in many was Danny's was. He had a lot of pressure to follow in his father's footsteps, which he didn't like. Does anyone else feel this way?
On page 263, perhaps the most important quote to the entire book graces those pages. “I know,” Reb Saunders murmured, as if he were reading my mind. “I have known it for a long time.” At this point, the conclusion starts to arch, and I am able to see a side of Danny’s father that I had failed to observe before. This simple but massive reveal tells so much about how Reb Saunders views his son. Throughout the entire book, prior to this point, I had come to the foolhardy conclusion that Reb Saunders held very little affection for his son, viewing him simply as something to continue his work after his death, a heir to his legacy and nothing more. However, this quote shows that Reb Saunders was aware of what his son was doing, and what his true desire to become was. Because of the fact that Reb Saunders cared for Danny, he never demanded that his son must stop what he was studying. This quote showed me that while Reb Saunders may had been an antagonist throughout the book, he truly loved his son, even if his good intentions went poorly.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the final chapters of the book, one quote on pages 220-221 in particular stuck to me. “I hated the silence between us and thought it unimaginable that Danny and his father never really talked. Silence was ugly, it was black, it leered, it was cancerous, it was death.” Never before have I read about the pain and the anger that occurs when friends are forced away from each other, and this is a brilliant way to describe the rage that was once friendship between two people. You feel bitter, harsh, and simply enraged on a day to day basis, seeing something that was once so important to you fall to pieces. As time marches on in Reuven and Danny’s world, I hope at least one thing remains constant: their friendship. They have gone through so much together, I find it incredibly difficult to see them losing each other. Do you think that Reuven and Danny will be able to remain friends?